LegislativeLegislative Priorities2025 Federal Legislative PrioritiesIPAA encourages increasing spending levels through an annual and timely appropriations process for the Airport Improvement Program (AIP), Essential Air Service, Contract Tower Program, and other programs that provide for the safe operation, development, and maintenance of facilities at airports around the country. 1. IPAA requests Congress take immediate action to address the aviation workforce shortage through multiple programs and initiatives. Aviation workforce shortages are creating a strain felt across the industry and is being felt most by the smaller communities who are struggling to maintain their basic level service or have lost their scheduledair service altogether.
2. IPAA requests Modernize the Air Service Development and Essential Air Service to meet today’s evolving small community and industry needs.
3. IPAA requests Congress pass liability legislation that holds airports harmless for present and past use of PFOS and PFAS in Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) as was mandated/required by the FAA.
4. IPAA requests Congress require TSA retain the roles the agency was created to execute following 9/11, instead of placing that unfunded burden mandate on airports. One of TSA’s founding purposes was to provide consistent security screening across the National Airspace System (NAS), and now critical security screening tasks are being placed back into the antiquated pre-9/11 processes and programs.
2025 State Legislative Priorities1. Airport Vertical Infrastructure Funding Source Update Vertical infrastructure needs at Iowa’s general aviation and commercial service airports remain high. The IPAA is supporting legislative efforts to update the source of funding for airport buildings from gaming revenues to aircraft use and lease taxes. 2. Federally Mandated Airport Firefighting For decades the federal government has mandated the use of aviation firefighting foam which contained perfluoroalkyl (PFOA) and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFOS). The Federal Aviation Administration’s “Aircraft Firefighting Foam Transition Plan” outlines the process for replacing these firefighting foams. The Plan also highlights the costs airports will incur as equipment such as fire fighting vehicles and equipment will require either complete decontamination or replacement. Currently, the replacement costs for fire fighting vehicles exceed $1,000,000 per truck, with a minimum of a two-year wait between the date of order and the time of delivery at the airport. Request: The IPAA supports an aviation industry led transition to new aviation firefighting foams. The Association also supports the use of State Aviation Fund monies for equipment and vehicle decontamination and/or replacement costs. 3. Airport Service Provider Agreements Each of Iowa’s commercial service airports, along with several general aviation airports, enter into agreements with companies to provide services such as aviation fuel sales, passenger hospitality offerings, car rentals, airport facilities management and airport operations. These negotiated agreements are based on local airport needs, aviation industry trends and the local economy. Request: The IPAA strongly supports the continuation of current state laws which allows for individual airports to negotiate agreements with service providers. Locally developed and negotiated agreements are the time-tested method for providing needed aviation and traveler-related services in our state. 4. Airport Land Use for Energy Projects As airports seek ways to generate non-property tax revenues, the use of non-aeronautical airport lands for solar energy generation has become a viable option. Request: The grounds of a public airport should not be included in any proposal to regulate the placement of solar energy conversion equipment. Legislative PrioritiesIPAA Post-Election UpdateIPAA State Legislative Priority Aircraft Parts and Labor Sales Tax
Signing SF 2370A bill for an act relating to aircraft, including special certificates issued to aircraft manufacturers, transporters, and dealers, and sales tax exemptions associated with aircraft, providing fees, making penalties applicable, and including effective date and applicability provisions. (Formerly SSB 3152.) Effective date: 06/30/2022, 07/01/2022. Applicability date: 06/30/2022.
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